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This recipe is one I have many variations of in my recipe books from over the years. Each time I make this dish, it is an absolute delight but this iteration of jalapeno popper stuffed chicken is (in my mind) true perfection. What really makes this recipe special are the aspects of it that were born out of a desperate attempt to make a delicious dinner with minimal ingredients and time.

The Details

This dish is easy to scale up or down depending on the size of the chicken breasts you use. A regular 1.5 lb pack of chicken breast will feed 2-4 people.

Prep Time: 20-30 minutes

Cook Time: 30-45 minutes

Oven Temp: 350 degrees F

The Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts
• 8-10 oz Cheez-It crackers (or alternate brand)
• 8 oz Cream Cheese, either softened or the whipped variety
• 1/2 – 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (pre-shredded and bagged is fine here!)
• 2-4 jalapenos (adjust based on jalapeno size and you desired spice level)
• Mayonnaise
• 1/2 – 1 Tbsp Butter, softened
• Salt & Black Pepper to taste
• Seasonings:
  • 2 Tbsp Garlic Powder
  • 1.5 Tbsp Onion Powder
  • 2-3 tsp Paprika
  • 1/4 tsp White Pepper
  • 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper

The Equipment

• 9 x 11 Baking Dish
• Food Processor (or ziplock bag to crush crackers)
• Piping Bag (or ziplock bag for piping filling OR feel free to just spoon it into butterflied chicken)
• 1 Medium Mixing Bowl + 1 Medium / Large Dish for Dredging
• Plastic Wrap
• Aluminum Foil
• Meat Thermometer

The Prep

• If you haven’t already, set out your cream cheese to soften!
  • This makes it much easier to mix and pipe (or spoon) into the chicken
• Wash and dice your jalapenos
  • I like to remove the larger parts of the core from the peppers while I’m dicing, but this is not necessary. I also recommend varying the size of your jalapeno bits as you cut – leave some larger and some smaller. This will add texture and variety to the cream cheese filling.
• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
• Crush your crackers
  • Again, I like to leave some size variety here. If using a food processor, do 2 batches where one is more finely powdered like regular breadcrumbs and the second batch is more similar in size to a chunky panko breading. Mix these together in your dredging dish.
• Butter your baking dish
  • Spread your softened butter around the bottom and slightly up the edges of your baking dish. I haven’t used non-stick spray as an alternative here so I can’t recommend it, I just know the butter makes for easy clean up and yummy little browned bits that are perfect to scooping over top of the chicken (or the veggie side dish OR BOTH)

The Steps

Step One: Make the cream cheese mixture by stirring your jalapenos and cheddar cheese into softened cream cheese. Once well combined, mix in Garlic Powder and Black Pepper. Start with about 1 tsp of the garlic and 1/2 tsp of the black pepper and add more as needed. Also add in a pinch of salt. The cream cheese mixture should not be salty at all – this is only meant to enhance the flavors of the garlic powder and jalapeno. When you are happy with the taste and ratios of your cream cheese mixture, set it aside.

Step Two: Prepare your seasoning blend by combining the measured seasonings from the ingredient list above. Use a small pinch bowl for this. Do not add salt or black pepper!

Step Two and a Half: If you are planning on using a piping bag, it would be a good idea to prep that and transfer your cream cheese mixture into it at this point.

Step Three: Prepare your chicken by making a cut down the thickest length of the breast. Start the cut about an inch from the top of the thick end and cut all the way down. Do not cut the chicken breast into two pieces, you want to butterfly it. When in doubt, start small; only cut a couple inches into the chicken then force it open and make several smaller, shallow cuts where you need them in order to keep the chicken in one piece. Once the breast has been butterflied, cut along the top and sides of your main cut (just slightly) so that the breast lays flat. Complete this process for all pieces of chicken.

Step Four: Place your butterflied chicken under a piece of plastic wrap and lightly pound it with your fist or heel of your palm. You do not want to use a tenderizer, this would break the tissue up too much, you just want to even out the thickness so that the chicken can cook more evenly.

Step Five: Season both sides of the breasts with your pre-mixed seasoning blend. Then, season the inside only with black pepper and a light amount of salt.

Step Six: Stuff your chicken by piping or spooning about 1-2 Tbsp of the cream cheese mixture down the middle of each breast. Leave plenty of space at the ends, you don’t want too much of the mixture cooking out of the chicken. Fold the breasts in half and press down gently across to spread the cream cheese along the width. Repeat this process until all of your chicken is stuffed. You should have a few tablespoons of cream cheese remaining.

Step Seven: Take the remaining seasoning blend and pour it into the Cheez-It “breadcrumbs”. If you need to mix more of the seasoning, feel free to do so. Also add in about 1 tsp of black pepper. Mix well.

Step Eight: Coat the chicken breasts in mayonnaise. There are no measurements here, use your best judgement. Try not to use too little or else you may end up wiping the seasoning off of the breast in an attempt to cover the whole piece of chicken. Try not to use too much or the breading with not crisp up. Ensure the breasts are thoroughly coated and then transfer them immediately into the Cheez-it breadcrumbs. Press lightly, then flip, and press again so that the piece is evenly coated. Transfer to your buttered baking dish.

Step Eight: Sprinkle some (or all) of the remaining Cheez-It breadcrumbs on top of and around the chicken breasts. Take the remaining cream cheese mixture and pipe or spoon on top of the breasts.

Step Nine: Loosely cover the baking dish in foil then pop it in the oven and set a timer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, check the internal temperature of the thickest parts of the breasts. If they have exceeded 120 degrees F, remove the foil and bake for another 10-25 minutes or until the internal temperate is 165 degrees.